Strut Your Cut 2016

I had the lovely opportunity of attending the third annual Strut Your Cut hair and runway show on Sunday. Unlike other fashion shows, SYC is a night of entertainment filled with hair trends, fashion, drag queens, and a live music performance by Andy Masters. Executive producer and founder of SYC, Seanpaul Harris, collaborates with different talent across the board to create an exciting night filled with much more than just fashion. Philip Abellana, show director, puts his prior New York Fashion Week experience to use to help make the vision come to life.

So how did SYC start?

Barber, Seanpaul, wanted to come up with a way to showcase hair trends while including fashion. Utilizing his creative sources such as his client, Philip, they began to discuss a hair runway idea and here we are three shows later! They wanted to promote the Center on Halsted, which is the largest LGBT community center in the Midwest and also where the runway show is held. The runway show is a suggested $10 donation and the proceeds go to benefit programs at the Center.

Last year the fashion and trend focus was all about Fantasy Meets Reality, and this year Human Contact-friendships, relationships, interactions with others, and just being yourself! Having models of all ages and sizes brings to light the true sense of being who you are and being confident in your own skin-and let me tell you these models looked AMAZING!

Future plans for SYC?

After the show I had the pleasure of speaking with both Seanpaul and Philip and they are already thinking of ideas for the next show. Seanpaul said this year’s show was more of a collaboration with different talents and creativity and that every person who helps out makes a huge contribution to the success of the show. It was amazing to speak with both the producer and director to see how they brought a simple idea to life and how fast this hair and runway show is growing. The big question we are wondering is will the show next year be another Spring show or a different season? Keep an eye out!

Photo credit: Erik Rodes and Baron Clay